Photo provided by ONE Championship
Reinier de Ridder Retains ONE Middleweight World Title with Submission Victory Over Kiamrian Abbasov
Reinier de Ridder remains on top
ONE Championship (ONE) returned with ONE: FULL CIRCLE, which aired live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Two epic World Title bouts headlined the show, which also featured the conclusion of a storied middleweight rivalry.
In the main event, reigning ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion Reinier de Ridder retained his middleweight belt with a dominant win over ONE Welterweight World Champion Kiamrian Abbasov.
In the first round, De Ridder wasted no time bringing the fight to the canvas with his signature takedowns. The Dutch superstar quickly transitioned into side control and established his dominance with a steady stream of ground-and-pound. In the second stanza, De Ridder effortlessly brought the action back to the mat and nearly finished the fight with an arm-triangle choke late in the round. Abbasov tried his best to prevent De Ridder from advancing his position, but ultimately, the middleweight king would not be denied.
De Ridder continued to work for the finish in the third round, as he secured a head-and-arm choke to force the tap at 0:57. With the victory, the Dutchman remained unbeaten as a professional, and he also took home a US$50,000 performance bonus for his efforts.
In the co-main event, Roman Kryklia retained his ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Title, knocking out Murat Aygun in the first round. Aygun pressed the defending World Champion early, but Kryklia showed great counterstriking, sending his opponent crashing to the canvas with a picture-perfect right hand to the temple. Despite beating the mandatory eight-count, Aygun was on unsteady legs, and Kryklia swiftly moved in to complete the finish with a final flurry. For his performance, Kryklia earned a US$50,000 bonus.
Former ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash concluded his epic rivalry with Myanmar mixed martial arts icon Aung La N Sang, scoring a unanimous decision victory in their trilogy fight. Aung La came out firing with explosive combinations, but the Russian fighter was relentless with his takedowns from start to finish, as he constantly attacked with submission attempts. After three grueling rounds, Bigdash edged out the former two-division ONE World Champion on the scorecards.
Fifth-ranked featherweight kickboxing contender Tayfun Ozcan took care of business against a game opponent in Enriko Kehl. Kehl pushed the pace throughout the course of the fight, but it was Ozcan who landed the cleaner, more powerful shots. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of “Turbine” to win by unanimous decision.
In a ONE Super Series heavyweight kickboxing battle, promotional newcomer Guto Inocente put forth a dominant performance, scoring a second-round technical knockout victory over Bruno Susano. Inocente showcased heavy artillery with his accurate striking combinations to start the contest. In the second round, the Brazilian landed a spinning heel kick that had his opponent wobbling. A final flurry sealed the deal for Inocente, as he announced his arrival on the global stage of ONE Championship.
Fourth-ranked bantamweight mixed martial arts contender Fabricio Andrade continued his hot streak, as he stopped fellow rising star Jeremy Pacatiw in the first round with a well-placed knee to the midsection. Pacatiw was effective with his wushu early on, but Andrade once again displayed precise and powerful strikes to score the knockout victory.
Main Card Results
MMA – Middleweight: Reinier de Ridder def. Kiamrian Abbasov via submission (head-and-arm choke) at 0:57 of round three
Kickboxing – Light Heavyweight: Roman Kryklia def. Murat Aygun via knockout at 2:32 of round one
MMA – Catchweight (95.0 KG): Vitaly Bigdash def. Aung La N Sang via unanimous decision
Kickboxing – Featherweight: Tayfun Ozcan def. Enriko Kehl via unanimous decision
Kickboxing – Heavyweight: Guto Inocente def. Bruno Susano via TKO at 2:22 of round two
MMA – Bantamweight: Fabricio Andrade def. Jeremy Pacatiw via knockout at 1:37 of round one
Lead Card Results
MMA – Catchweight (87.30 KG): Zebaztian Kadestam def. Valmir da Silva via knockout at 1:26 of round one
Muay Thai – Bantamweight: Vladimir Kuzmin def. Chris Shaw via unanimous decision
Muay Thai – Catchweight (58.0 KG): Smilla Sundell def. Diandra Martin via TKO at 1:35 of round three
MMA – Middleweight: Daniyal Zainalov def. Yuri Simoes via split decision
Kickboxing – Flyweight: Daniel Puertas def. Jiduo Yibu via split decision
MMA – Lightweight: Drex Zamboanga def. Rahul Raju via knockout at 1:05 of round one
